Assessing the effects of interaction with attractions and types of visit on day trippers' satisfaction

Day trippers are visitors spending only a few hours at the destination without staying overnight, and they represent a significant number of visitors in many destinations. However, some facets of the behaviour of this type of visitors remain under-researched topics. Accordingly, the present study analyzes day trippers' satisfaction by focusing on a novel set of determinants related to their interaction with the tourist attractions visited (intradestination behaviour) in the context of cruises. The research was conducted in the city of Valencia (Spain). Through a combination of GPS tracking technologies and traditional surveys, this study considers the spatial patterns, tourist attractions visited, perceived experience, duration of the visit, and expenditures, to find that the effects of these determinants vary according to the type of visit: independent or guided. Moreover, for visit duration and expenditures, the study builds on prospect theory to propose an innovative approach by exploring inverted U-shaped effects which represents a theoretical advance with managerial implications for the destinations.